Dry My Tears
by Crystallinee
Summary: Left alone and broken after the massacre, Sasuke struggles to remain alive. Just when he can't take it anymore, Itachi suddenly appears again. Will love heal them? Danzo wants to eliminate the remaining Uchihas and the brothers have to flee. Brotherly love.
1. Beginning and End

**Dry My Tears  
><strong>

**Chapter 1: Beginning and End, Itachi's POV  
><strong>

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><p>The darkness fell. It was time.<p>

I could feel it deep inside me, how the feelings I suppressed lived their own life. The pain and anger, guilt and grief.

It was time to do it.

I rose from the floor in my room where I had been sitting the last hours. I began to put on my Anbu uniform. I tried not think about what I really was about to do. I tried to pretend that it was just a ordinary assassination mission, nothing reamarkable. Just some other thing my father had forced me to go through.

I forced all my feelings away, like I always do, and then headed away to complete my mission. I allowed no emotions to reach me, no thoughts. I would complete this, no matter what it took. For the sake of the village.

For Sasuke's sake.

I was hoping somewhere deep inside me that my actions would disappear with time, while I knew they would always remain. For every life that I would take now, the scar would be deeper in me, in Sasuke, in all others.

But it was not only about that. This mission was not just about the Uchiha clan's planned coup d'état, but also about the Sharingan. It was Danzou's egoistical desires and my clan's foolish obsession for power that would end so many lives tonight.

Egotistical.

I was moving from house to house. Jumping on the roofs, taking me into every home and slaughtering them all mercilessly. Screams ended quickly, blood was splattering on the walls. I forced away all feelings and gave an equally cold facial expression that I use to as I let my katana slice through neck after neck, at a furious pace, sending out killing kunais and shurikens in all directions.

This was my last mission for Konoha, for Danzou. For every single body that fell to my feet, another small part of me was deleted. I was at the same time killing every shred of emotion that threatened to come out.

Mission. It's all about the mission. _A ninja must have a heart that won't allow him to cry.  
><em>My friends, relatives, elders, parents ... men, women and children. It made no difference. No matter how hard it was.

It was so incredibly egotistical, and also terribly tragic.

There was only one person that I couldn't kill under any circumstances, that I wouldn't kill but to commit suicide afterwards. Someone who was more precious to me than anyone, anything.

My little brother, Sasuke.

But to spare him would still leave a lot of pain for him. My numb facade was close to falter just when I thought about it. So much pain...

But I couldn't think of that now. There was no turning back. Somewhere around here was Madara, watched and helped me kill them all. He claimed that he wanted revenge on the Uchiha clan, and that was a big reason why I did this. But I had demanded to handle my family by myself.

At the top on a telephone pile under the big moon, at the highest point in the entire district, I crouched and watched the empty streets. The empty streets filled with corpses, corpses from the blood-stained clan. I was waiting.

Waiting for the last one of clan, the only survivor that I would allow. Sasuke.

He didn't know what was coming, and I wished that I could have prepared him somehow. But was it even possible to prepare for something so horrible like this?

Soon I discovered his chakra signature in the darkness of the arriving night, my little brother was heading this way. My blood red eyes followed from afar the small child, which in happy ignorance rushed to our home. He would soon realize ... I jumped down, went to our house. It was time to deal with my parents. But it went rather quickly and I dried my tears and prepared for Sasuke's arrival to our home.

The next fifteen minutes was unbearable, but I managed to do what I had planned despite everything.  
>Sasuke's facial expressions was the worst thing. At first he was terrified when he saw that someone had killed his parents, then disbelieving, hurt and horrified when he realized that the murderer was his own big brother...<p>

_I'm so sorry Sasuke. I don't want to involve you, but I want to you to see what I'm seeing right now. Just my beloved brother standing in front of me._

_You're begging in vain._

_I could never kill you. Never ever.  
><em>

And I had to hurt him, though every bit of his pain is mine. To throw a shuriken at him - the distance was carefully measured out so that he would take the least possible harm - was almost too much. But I had to show him that I was serious. That my lies, my act, was reality.

Then Tsukyomi, and I suffered with him. I heard his terrified screams and I wished I was deaf. I heard myself tell him all those lies.

Lies.

Had I ever lied so much before, in all my life?  
>It was heartbreaking. In exchange for Sasuke's survival, we would both suffer a lot.<p>

Finally, he sat in front of me on the street. He was in despair, exhausted, hurt and scared. He was so misguided!

A_s if_ I could ever cause the unfortunate little child some considerable damage! _As if _I would ever kill him! How could he be thinking that? Hadn't I promsed him that I always would be there for him, protect him no matter what?

That was where my facade broke.

Seven years together, was it everything we would have? A broken, crushed existence far away from everyone else.

With tears dripping down my face, flowing from my red eyes, I saw my beloved little brother lose consciousness and fall to the ground beside the corpses. There were no words that could describe my pain right then.

I wanted to pick him up, hug him and tell him that I loved him so infinitely, that he meant more to me than anyone else in this world. I wanted to tell him that this was to protect him and the village. Because I didn't want him to experience a war, to be a sacrifice like I was.

So many unspoken words that would die on my lips tonight. That would die with me.

It felt as if the world scoffed at me. The moon in the sky became a scornful face, Madara's hidden presence was disturbing. But I had completed it.

I set off to the Hokage's building. I wanted to ignore the tears that was running down my face, but for the sake of it I quickly wiped them off. I would beg to The Third that he protected Sasuke, and I would also threat Danzo - if he laid a single finger on my brother I would not only spread Konoha's information to every nation in the world, but I would also return and kill him and the other elders personally. That I could assure.

When I finally left Konoha in the cover of night, I knew that a whole new life would begin. This was the end, this was the beginning. My love was inside of me still, only as a fading memory. I could never get Sasuke's love back, I could never show him again that he meant something for me. I wasn't allowed more than that in this world.  
><em><br>Forgive me, Sasuke._

Forgive me.

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><p><strong>.<br>**

**Pls Review and tell me what you think!**


	2. Unbearable

**Dry My Tears**

**Chapter 2: Unbearable**

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><p>Sasuke stared into the wall.<p>

"_Mom, where's that new boy?" the girl in the foster-family asked._

_"I don't know honey, I think he went out for a walk..."_

The pain was unbearable. Like a fire, burning in his body.

_The father in the family came in through the door, carried Sasuke in his arms.  
><em>  
>"<em>Darling! What happened to him?" the mother asked.<em>

Sasuke continued to stare into the solid wall. It was the only way for him distract himself.  
>He stared into nothing, tried to forget.<p>

"_He'd been gone all day, so I went out to search for him. At twilight, I found him in the abadoned Uchiha District. He'd went to the graveyard."  
><em>

Nothing was there, but he stared at it nevertheless.

"_We found him clinging to a tombstone, crying. But he wouldn't talk to me, and he refused to leave the grave. We had to force him, and then he passed out."  
><em>  
>"<em>...I'm so worried. Are you sure we should be taking care of him?"<em>

What is emptiness, really?

"_Sasuke, we have decided to give you an own apartment", the Hokage told him. _

Yesterday he went to the graveyard again. He sat in front of his parents graves, wished that they could hear him when he talked to them. This time he didn't cling to his mother's grave desperately, pressed his tiny body against the cold stone. He just stared at it, again.

Time was floating, but sometimes it seemed to be standing still. Sasuke didn't even remember how long time had passed since the massacre.

Another day he went to his old house, went into the room where his parents had met death. He collapsed on the floor and just cried and cried. After a long time in hell, he remembered being awakened and lifted up. It was a chuunin who was sent out to bring him home.

Now, there was nobody who cared anymore.  
>Every day was the hardest in Sasuke's life. It was difficult to even breath, to stay alive.<p>

But somehow, he always survived to suffer through next day. His heart never stopped beating.  
>He wished it would.<p>

Sasuke didn't want to life like this. In school, the other children picked at him.

_He looked at the test in front of him. He'd got all answers correctly.  
>Another boy in the bench beneath his turned around and gripped his test, crumbling it to a ball. "You think you're so damn smart, Uchiha kid. You should be dead anyway."<br>_  
>"<em>Yes", another boy agreed, "you should be lying on the graveyard and rot together with your family!"<br>_  
>"<em>Go to hell with your parents!" the first boy exclaimed and the others around him laughed. Sasuke didn't move, he didn't show a single emotion. A part of him wanted to beat the boys to a bloody pulp, but the pain was numbing. He couldn't move from his spot from free will anymore.<em>

When he was out walking, he heard the adults talk. About him.

"_That poor kid... the only survivor... I really pity him." A woman said to her friend at the market.  
>Sasuke hated to be pitied. He stayed hidden and listened, he couldn't resist.<em>

"_Yes, I heard from another family how hard it was to have him living there", her friend answered. "Screaming his lungs out at night, from terrible nightmares."  
><em>  
>"<em>All that pain for a young child like him. How old are he? Seven? Six?"<em>

_The first woman shook her head in disapproval. "It's not humane to let a child go through this. I wonder if..." She lowered her voice, but Sasuke could still hear._

"_If it should've been better if he didn't survive."_

_Sasuke's eyes widened. _

_The other woman nodded. "Better to meet the same destiny as his parents, than living through this unnecessary pain. It's a high prize to pay, to be the only survivor. You know how they do with animals that suffer... they put them to death."_

_Sasuke couldn't move. The pain was to much, so unbearable that he thought it would suffocate him.  
>That was what they wanted to do with him? Do away with him, take his life to spare him from "pain"?<em>

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><p>They told me that every wound heal with time. How it is even possible?<p>

I crouched on the wooden floor, could still se my parents lying there, dead.  
>My tears burned in my face. <em>Mom, Dad... come back already!<em>

I had gone to our abadoned house again. It felt like I came closer to my family when I did it. I brought up my kunai. A steel-gray sharp weapon, made for killing.

I sat on my knees. A heartbroken and crying little child in an empty room where I saw my family falling apart.  
>Could I really do this? Would I be able to hurt myself that much, pierce my skin and bring that much damage to myself?<p>

I was scared. But I had decided. This hell wasn't bearable. I had nothing to lose anymore. My hands were shaking, my head spinning.

_Nii-san, I wish you could watch me now. I'm not going to follow your path anymore...  
>You told me to hate you, despite you, and survive.<em>

_But I'm not going to survive.  
>I'm not going to create hatred for you.<em>

_Because, I still love you._

_Brother, see what happens..._

I held the kunai in front of me, saw it glisten. I closed my eyes and thrusted the weapon deep inside of me, through my stomach.

The pain was killing, but I wasn't going to die yet, I knew. A steady bead of blood was running out of my belly when I looked down. I let myself fall to the floor, dropped the blood-stained kunai beside me.

I lay down there again, so broken, so crushed. Now it was just to wait. Wait for my end.

My eyes filled with tears when memorys of my family resurfaced my mind. I thought I could see them, far away, waiting for me. Mother's smiling face:_ I'm happy to see you again, Sasuke, but you shouldn't be here yet, honey._ My father: _Son, It's to early for you to be here, why are you coming already? _

My strenght was draining from my body. I began to feel numb.

Then I realized that somebody was lifting me up. Was it another shinobi that was sent to bring me home?  
>It didn't matter. My weak body was lifted up a bit, placed in somebody's lap. A strong hand gently supported my head.<p>

That was when I realized that Itachi was holding me again.

My eyes stared into his black, bottomless orbs. His eyes were wide and his facial expression shocked.  
>He held me gently but firmly in his arms, crouching on the floor.<p>

"Itachi" I breathed. I could hear the rain outside our house, how it sounded when it hit the roof. It rained every day.

"Sasuke", he whispered, stared at me. It was hard to focus, the pain in my stomach was overwhelming, I just wanted it to end.

"Why, otouto?" Did I imagine his soft, sad voice or was it reality? The scent of a older brother I once loved, was it just imagination?

But he was there, I could feel the warmth of his body, could smell his scent. Nii-san was here again.

I whimpered from the pain and he held me tighter. "Sasuke, hold on", he said. "I'm going to save you."  
>Those quiet words, said with so much absolution, could have been enough to save me. But I wouldn't let it happen.<p>

Why was he here?

"I... don't want to survive", I whispered. "Not like this, all alone. If this is what you wanted, then you'll lose me too. I'm not going to be alone anymore."

I could feel Itachi tensing up.

"Kill me", I breathed.

I closed my eyes, felt the sharp pain in my stomach from the wound. I hoped for a fast and painless death. It was true. I wanted to die if he was going to leave me on my own for the rest of my life.

Suddenly, I was reminded of the first time I saw him. When I was just thirty minutes old, lying in a crib with wheels, at the hospital.

_I cried helplessly. I was scared. I wondered where I was, what place this was. It was cold and white. I wanted to be in my dark, warm home again inside of mommy. I felt abadoned. What would happen to me?_

_ Then somebody peeked over the edge of the crib. Big, black eyes looked at me curiously. I stopped crying for a moment. I wondered who he was, that person that looked at me.  
><em>

_I started to cry again and his eyes looked worried. Somebody said something to him. He nodded. Somebody lifted me up. I was placed in warm arms. _

_I looked up, and saw the same boy again. He smiled at me and his eyes were soft and kind. I liked him. I felt safe with him, and I stopped crying._

_He continued to look at me, and I couldn't help but to feel safe and calm. He rocked me gently and said something. I liked his voice. I had heard it before, sometime. I knew that low, soft voice. I didn't want him to go. _

_I lifted my hand and gripped a bit of his hair, then let go. His smile grew wider.  
>He bent down, and I felt him kiss my forehead gently.<em>

_I was just a newborn baby, but I somehow understood what my new big brother had said.  
><em>  
>"<em>Welcome to the world, otouto. I'm your big brother Itachi, and I will always protect you."<em>

They memory faded away. I felt something wet land on my cheek. And another wet drop.

Did the rain leak trough the ceiling? It was fine by me, the rain was comforting.

But rain shouldn't be this warm. I forced my eyes open, and stared up at my brother. Tears were running down Itachi's face and he stared at me. He looked despairing.

"I'm never going to hurt you again", he said so quietly that I almost couldn't hear him.

My eyes that now was dried showed no emotion. Death was close.

Not for him, but for me.

My brother gritted his teeth in utmost sorrow. "I was the one who would die by your hands one day. I was the one who was going to be punished. Not you, my innocent little brother. I won't allow you to die like this." It sounded like he was talking to himself.

I shook my head weakly. "There's nothing you can do", I said.

Soon it would be over, my end was drawing close...

Itachi had opened his cloak and he hugged me tight under it. He pressed me against his strong body and buried his face in my hair. I realized that he was trembling.

My smaller body instinctively snuggled into his for warmth and comfort, as if everything was normal.  
>But it was too late to change anything. I was broken inside, and nothing could fix me.<p>

I didn't want to be close to him. He was a traitor, a murderer, a monster. Right?  
>But at the same time, I didn't want to leave his side ever again.<p>

I looked up at my brother, and saw something new. The weakness, the helplessness in his eyes as he watched me drift from life. He saw me being born, he will see me die.

"It hurts," I whispered now. My eyes were glazed with tears. Itachi pressed me harder against him in despair. His presence was comforting somehow.

I closed my eyes a last time, gave in to the darkness in my head. The last thing I felt was Itachi's lips, pressing against mine in a final, desperate attempt to keep me there.

"I'm so sorry, otouto. This is my fault, and I will never forgive myself."

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><p><em>I watched Sasuke close his eyes in my arms, and I trembled with anger and sorrow. What have I done, by leaving him here? <em>

_I confess. I, Itachi Uchiha, am crying.  
><em>

_I pressed him against me, the weak little child that I just wanted to protect so badly. I held him like I could save him. As if everything wasn't too late. _

_I gritted my fists and lowered my head as I cried and cried. _

_I love you more than anything else, Sasuke. I won't allow you to die._

_You're my life.  
><em>

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><p>Author's Note: Well, this was angsty. Next chapter will be happier, though. If I write one...<br>Side Note:If you want to read the full version of Sasuke's birth, in Itachi's point of view, please read my story "Sleep Well Otouto: Childhood Memories".

**Review, please! It makes my day!**


	3. Broken

_I remember…_

_My family…_

_You said you would always protect me._

_You said nothing could hurt me as long as you were there._

_I remember…_

_Even when it hurts…_

_My nii-san…_

_I remember…_

_You…_

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes.  
>Then he realized that he was lying on a bed in a bright room. He got a sudden adrenaline kick when he saw the person sitting next to him.<p>

Itachi.

Sasuke's heart rate increased in speed, his whole being prepared for fight or flee.  
>But Itachi didn't look like he was going to hurt him again. Worried, black eyes in the same, painful familiar face with the same lines under his eyes… he could remember himself caressing those lines for a short second.<p>

Then… nothing.

"Itachi?" He felt numb in his whole body as he looked at the murderer of their whole clan.

"Sasuke!" His older brother leaned over him, anxiously.

But Sasuke shook his head. "Stay away from me", he said firmly.

Itachi immediately did as requested, leaned back with the same worry written all over his face. But Sasuke didn't care.  
>Itachi had left him, left him all alone after killing their family. Sasuke had nothing left, he was bleeding inside. And the last thing he wanted now was more pain. He had to save himself, anyhow.<p>

"How do you feel?" Itachi asked. Sasuke ignored the question, examined himself and noticed that his whole chest was bandaged. He realized that he was at a hospital.

_So I survived... I thought it was impossible...  
><em>

"Sasuke…" Sasuke refused to look at his brother. "I am really really sorry, otouto… I can't tell you enough how sorry I am... I never thought you would do something like this. But you don't need to worry, because I will be…"

_~I wanna run away from love, this time I have had enough._  
><em> Everytime I feel your touch, I'm broken.<em>  
><em> Shattered all the pieces of parts.<em>  
><em> Never thought I'd fall so hard.<em>  
><em> I'm putting back together my heart, it's broken.<em>

"Stop it", Sasuke said clearly. He sat up, ignored Itachi's outreached hand. He needed no more empty words and broken promises.  
>Because his whole being was broken. Everything was shattered, and nothing could fix it again.<p>

"You can go back to where you came from, I don't care. There's nothing you can do", he said firmly. "I've been all alone for so long…You're not my brother anymore."

And he jumped out of the bed and rushed out of the room.

Itachi rose from his seat with emotions and thoughts spinning in his head. He knew that he deserved Sasuke's disgust and revulsion , he deserved all of it. Sasuke was only eight years old, and it had hardly passed a year since the massacre. How could he even expect Sasuke to treat him differently?

And how close it was… Sasuke was so close to kill himself… Itachi thanked God for coming in time. He wished for nothing but Sasuke's life, Sasuke's safety, Sasuke's happiness… Sasuke's love. _You mean everything for me… I wish there was a way back.  
>I should have brought you with me, otouto…<em>

Itachi rushed out after his otouto. He couldn't help but to hold on, hold on to his brother and their memories together, for all time. He knew one thing for sure – he would always love Sasuke more than his own life. And he couldn't allow him to die…

.

Sasuke ran out of the hospital. He didn't have a clue where to go.  
>Because there was nowhere to go, anymore.<p>

Tears welled up in his eyes as he began to run towards the forest. Once upon a time, he would have been overjoyed by seeing his brother again, but no longer. He didn't hold a single emotion for Itachi anymore. That hate Itachi had told him to feed, it was gone. And so were all his adoration and love for his nii-san.

He stopped when his legs didn't could carry him anymore.

He fell down on his knees, alone and lost in the forest. He remembered how infinitely he had loved his older brother, how he used rush over to him and hug him when he came home, bury his face in his shirt, kiss his cheeks. He had told Itachi "I will love you forever and always, nii-san!" And Itachi had hugged him back and told him that he loved him just as much.

What happened to all that? What happened to those feelings, when he was happy and safe with his aniki?

_~I know it's gonna take some time, to finally realize._  
><em> I got nothing left inside, nothing to hide, I'm broken, broken, broken<em>

If everything had been normal, then Itachi would have hugged him now and cradled him against him, told him that he would always be there for him and take away his sorrows. But now there was nothing left.

And although nothing was normal, Itachi was there now. He kneeled beside him, lifted him up in his lap and hugged him tightly.

_I won't let you go, otouto. Because I love you too much. _

Sasuke didn't care anymore. He needed someone to love, someone to trust, like every kid needs. He needed someone who loved him. For this moment, he didn't even care that Itachi was the one who killed their parents.

He clenched his fists in his brother's cloak, pressed himself against Itachi's strong chest and sobbed and cried. Itachi wrapped his arms around him and held him tight against his body. The time he had been gone, he had been so worried, so worried for his beloved little brother. He could never breath properly or relax for a moment before. He felt complete again now when his otouto was with him again.

Itachi sat there, tried to suppress all pain and hurt inside him. Seeing Sasuke cry hurt him as well, so much. But he told Sasuke what he always wanted to say.

"I will never leave you. I will always protect you. I swear, Sasuke. I am a liar, I know, and I am not worthy of being your brother, but I will say it anyway. It doesn't matter if you don't believe me. I love you, Sasuke."

Sasuke stopped trembling. He was still clenching the fabric in his older brother's Akatsuki cloak, refused to look at him. But he seemed calmer. Like when he was a little child and Itachi would comfort him at night when he couldn't sleep.

Everything Itachi wanted now was to save Sasuke from the darkness. He wanted to be there to catch Sasuke, be the bridge that prevented him from falling. There was so much pain in their souls, so much hurt and bleeding wounds, but maybe… maybe they could save each other. Itachi knew that Sasuke already had saved him, and now he wanted to do the same thing for him.

"Aniki", Sasuke said suddenly.

Itachi looked down at him, with tenderness in his eyes. His heart swelled. How could Sasuke still refer to him as "big brother" after all things he had done?  
>His poor little brother, so badly hurt… he felt so protective when he looked at him. He just wanted to hide Sasuke away, take him away from all the pain, protect him and shield him from all sorrows in the world forever. And he would do it, no matter the cost.<p>

"Nii-san…I haven't forgiven you. I can forgive, maybe, but I can never forget. But still it feels… like I love you."

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><p><strong>-End of chapter-<strong>

**Author's Note:** Now then, was it good or bad?  
>This story is different from the other ones I write at the moment, the chapters are shorter and I have another set-up. That's because the first chapter was originally planned to be a one-shot, and so was the second. But then I decided to continue and put them together… and it worked! :)<p>

Now, let's see how this will go…I believe there's more chapters to come.

Anyway, if you liked it, have any suggestions for the plot, some constructive critism etc. –** review!**


	4. Escape

**Chapter 4: Escape**_  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>When you have something precious to protect, you can be truly strong.<em>

It was true. The reason Itachi became strong at all was because he had had Sasuke there in his life. Without him, there was nothing. Nothing at all.

Itachi gently pulled his fingers through his little brother's soft hair, sitting with the sleeping child in his arms.  
>The younger whined in his sleep and turned around. Itachi cradled him closer to himself, covered him with his cloak. He looked at the dark sky.<p>

The night was falling over Konoha. They were hiding in the furthest parts of the village, after leaving the little hospital he took Sasuke to.  
>His little brother slowly opened his black, pearly eyes.<p>

"Where am I?" he asked weakly. It pained Itachi to see how weak and emotionally destroyed he was. "Where's mother and father?"

Itachi didn't know what to answer. He wasn't supposed to deal with this, but if he was going to stay with his brother, he would have to learn to. _What was I thinking? If I only could go back, and stop myself from tormenting him with Tsukiyomi and forcing him to watch all their deaths…_

He sighed inwardly and rose, with Sasuke in his arms. The child looked around, seemed to wake up a bit and the same pained expression returned to his eyes. He wanted to say something, but the words died on his lips.

_Nii-_

"We have to leave this village soon, I can't stay here…" Itachi said quietly.

"Don't leave me!" Sasuke shouted, helpless and afraid. He gripped his brother's cloak tightly, panic rising in his eyes.

Itachi stayed emotionless. He had already decided to bring Sasuke along. Itachi was just fifteen and already a member of the Akatsuki, he had recently killed his clan, his own parents. But he had decided to walk another path than the one he chose when he was angry and sad, the last weeks before the massacre. Sasuke was the only thing he had left in the world. He couldn't let go of him.

He hugged his little brother against his chest and the child relaxed a bit.

"I'll take you with me, where I'm going. We cannot stay here."

Little Sasuke didn't really care anymore. He didn't know what to do, who to trust. He was hurt, he was lost.  
>So he did as he always used to do when he was unsecure or afraid – he buried his face in Itachi's cloak and consigned himself completely to his big brother.<p>

**xBxuxBxbxExlx9x7x**

"Nii-san?"

Itachi struggled to keep his face emotionless. How could Sasuke still call him that?

Sasuke tiredly lifted his head from his brother's shoulder, which he had been leaning it against. Itachi was carrying him on his back as he almost flew through the forest, moving at an incredible speed. They had to get far away from Konoha before they were caught by the Anbu. If that happened, he would be executed (he doubted that he had the strength to defend himself against all of them yet) and Sasuke would be brought back to the same meaningless life as before. Most for Sasuke's sake, he hurried as much as he could.

The whole night had passed, some light from the rising sun shone through the thick branches. Itachi continued, moved like a flash of black and red from each branch.

"How do you feel?" he asked his brother.

He could feel Sasuke tightening his hold around him.

"I'm fine", he said shakily, but Itachi wasn't convinced – Sasuke was still badly hurt from his suicide attempt. They both needed to rest.

He could feel some kind of tension between them – so much was unsaid, unexplained, and Sasuke's confusing emotions was touching him deeply. But he still couldn't promise to explain everything. It was still a sacrifice he made, a sacrifice to protect Sasuke and the village.

Sasuke was tired, hungry, confused and sad. Always confused, mostly sad. But he began to feel a heavy headache and sleep was closing in on him. At dawn, Itachi found a hidden place at a mountain where he stopped. He gently lifted Sasuke from his back and held him in his arms, examined him worriedly.

The child's face was flushed and drops of sweat were running down his forehead – he had a high fever and was barely conscious. He mumbled:

"_Kaa-san_…mother…"

Itachi flinched.

The one he regretted killing the most, was their mother. She was kind and always wanted to make them happy – but, she was supporting their father to much, she was always on his side. And Danzou would never have let him spare her too. Sasuke's survival was almost too much. Now Itachi really wished that she were here to comfort the both of them and make Sasuke's fever go down. He had no knowledge about medicial treatment, but he had seen her treating both him and his brother when they were sick.

He carried Sasuke down to a little stream that was flowing down the mountainside, sparkling in the light of dawn, and moistened his little brother's warm forehead with the cold water. Sasuke whimpered and reached out his small hand as if to grip his brother's, but let it fall again and finally lost consciousness.

Itachi kneeled at the stream and dampened his face some more and pulled his fingers through his hair to cool him down, hoping that it was comfortable for Sasuke. Then he carried him to a shielded rock cleft and put him down. He looked at his brother's bandaged stomach, and to his relief it wasn't bleeding through the bandages anymore, but he knew the wound was deep.

He winced. How could his baby brother ever get the idea to kill himself? Sasuke had been the world's happiest child...

But… that was what Itachi himself was about to do after witnessing the third great ninja war. He was so young back then, he had seen so much horrible things… but just two years after, Sasuke was born and he decided that nobody was going to bring him down – he would be strong and survive through everything so he could protect his little brother.

Itachi was exhausted by now. Everything else would wait until tomorrow – their tomorrow. The sun was rising, but they were shielded and shadowed among the rocks.  
>He lay down beside his brother, wrapped his arms tightly around his tiny body and wrapped his cloak around them like a blanket. Just now, when he knew that Sasuke was safe – for the moment – beside him, he could finally exhale.<p>

He nuzzled his face together with Sasuke's, so he could feel the heat from his fever. He was going to suffer it with him, until it was gone. He gently kissed his brother's nose and fell asleep beside him. Some flashes of light found their way through all rocks and shone down upon the two brothers, who was sleeping with their heads close together.

Now dreams and thoughts were floating freely inside their minds.

"_Itachi, please"… Mikoto's tearfilled eyes._

_Itachi knew he had no more time to lose. He violently brought his katana down, closed his eyes for the short moment it hit his target – went through her neck with a splashing sound and all resistance for the cold metal disappeared. It sliced easily through her pale, soft skin. _

"_Please, save…"_

_His mother's blood was splattering on his uniform and bare arms, and his eyes snapped open, watched the red fluid pour from her neck as her body hit the floor with a thud. _

"…_Sasuke…"_

_His father was surprisingly calm. Itachi turned around and ended his life in a flash, and his body fell on top of hers. _

_I'm cutting every bond tonight. I'm stopping a war and saving lifes.  
><em>

_That was the same thought that echoed through Itachi's mind all the time. But couldn't stop the violently flood of tears from his face as he headed away.  
><em>

_.  
><em>

_No words can describe my pain. Of all pains I've felt in my life – during diseases and when I got a Shuriken in my shoulder, and when my family was brutally slaughtered – I know one thing._

_The worst kind of pain is the psychological one. It's stronger than anything._

_Because it hasn't any cure, no painkillers. No morphine can erase that pain.  
>You just have to live through it and – if the mental torment is over – wait for the time, for years of suffering, to heal your wounds. But they will never be completely healed.<em>

_A piece of your bleeding wound will always remain inside of you. _

_It doesn't matter if I was killed the most horrible way, I would still prefer that than to be here, knowing my parents will never breathe again.  
>Never talk to me again. I will never see them again.<em>

_But when I met my brother again…  
>Is it possible, that he can help me to heal? Why do I think so, when he was the one who put me through all of this?<em>

_.  
><em>

Sasuke turned around restlessly. His head was aching and it felt like he was boiled in hot water. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was his older brother's sleeping face.  
>Itachi was hugging him tightly; his forehead was leaned against his as if he wanted to take some of his fever.<p>

Sasuke knew he should hate him. He knew he should despise him.  
>But… he was his only safety. He needed somebody, somebody who could understand him, to love him. At the night of the massacre, he had wanted to kill him right away.<p>

He didn't know why, but now he suddenly wanted his presence. But what if... Itachi was going to kill him too? The fever made it hard to think, every thought got stuck in each other.  
>He wrapped his tiny arms firmly around Itachi's neck and fell asleep again.<p>

**xBxuxBxbxExlx9x7x**

"Hokage-sama!"

Iruka burst into the Hokage's office, worried. The old man looked up from some papers on his desk.

"What is it, Iruka?" he asked him.

"I need to talk to you! It's an urgent matter! About… about Uchiha Sasuke!"

"What's up with him?" the Hokage asked sedately, successfully hiding his interest in the topic. His promise to Itachi, to protect the only surviving Uchiha, was strong.

"I am…I am really worried, Hokage-sama! Sasuke hasn't been in the academy for a couple of days now, and nobody has heard anything from him! And… in the Uchiha District, in the main household, some chuunins found the floor soaked with blood!"

"Calm down, Iruka." But to tell the truth, Sarutobi was really worried.

_Has Danzo defied Itachi's order? _he wondered. In that case, it would mean the end of Konoha. Itachi would be so furious if Danzo dared to touch the child, so…  
>He kept a calm mask on as he talked with the upset teacher. <em>After everything Itachi did to protect our village… it is a true shame if we were to let him down. <em>

"What are we going to do, Hokage-sama?"_  
><em>

"Hokage-sama!" Suddenly, a anbu-uniformed masked man appeared in front of his desk. "We have observed a stranger at Konoha's northen port. We were able to identify him as… Itachi Uchiha."

Iruka gasped. Not even Sarutobi was able to hide his surprise.

"Sasuke's brother?" Iruka asked confused.

"Is he still here?" the Hokage asked, although he sensed what the answer would be.

The man bowed his head. "I'm very sorry, Hokage-sama, but we observed him from a distance and before we could approach him, he'd left. Apparently, he left no destruction or mess behind him. Shall we send out a searching squad?"

"I decide about that!" the Hokage snapped.

Iruka's face was pale. "Is it possible that… Sasuke was kidnapped by Itachi?"

The old man's face was stern. "Both of you – leave. I'll take care of this matter."

"Hai." The anbu member left. But Iruka was upset.

"But – we have to – "

"Go", the Hokage ordered. When he was alone, he put his hands together and thought about it.

So, Itachi had changed his mind and decided to bring Sasuke along. That would be better for both of them right now, and ensure Sasuke's safety. But being with the child would make Itachi worthless as a spy for the village. And later on, they could be vulnerable if they were attacked. But Sarutobi was a kind man and he would let them be together.

But on the other side of the wall, someone else was listening. Somebody who thought about power, not about feelings.

Danzo narrowed his eyes, pleasured with how this was going. Now he could eliminate the both of them, at the same time. Kill two birds with one stone – and all Uchihas would be gone forever.

* * *

><p><strong>Reviews are appreciated! :)<br>**


	5. Choices

**A/N: Euhmm... Hi guys. It seems like a while since I last updated this. **  
><strong>Anyway, here comes a new chapter! And you can expect the next one pretty soon too!<br>Many thanks to my beta reader for this chapter, Bonnie-san! :)  
><strong>

**Dry My Tears 5: Choices  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Sasuke had a terrible nightmare again. This time he was running forward, trying to stop his brother from slaughtering their family. But he knew it was meaningless.<p>

If he could do anything to stop Itachi from killing their mother and father, he would. Sasuke saw his brother standing there with his katana raised. The young boy rushed over to him and tried to protect his parents. But it all was in vain. He was easily pushed aside. Horrified he watched the katana fall and he lost his family once again.

As the nightmare slowly faded away, Sasuke's mind began working on its own. Confusing memories and thoughts from the massacre were haunting him. It created a whole new scenario in his head and suddenly he was back at the day of the massacre.

x

I saw the look in your eyes and all I wanted was to lie down and die, right there on the street. But I didn't. I didn't even run away. Once I was standing there in front of you I couldn't move. My mind had already decided that I wasn't going to run away anymore. If you wanted to kill me, brother, you could go ahead. Just as I always came running when you gestured at me. I knew you would poke my forehead but I came to you anyway.

_I loved you._

You could hear my terrified little heart; see the fear that was threatening to kill me from the inside. Every beat of my heart was going straight to you. And you held my life in your palm; you could crush it so easily if you wanted to. Kill me along with them.

But you didn't. I was waiting, waiting for you to end it for me as well. But you didn't.

You left me there. You didn't fight back when I followed and tried to take you down. But I was helpless; I collapsed on the street in front of your teary eyes.

_Why did you cry that night, nii-san?_

_x  
><em>

Sasuke was wriggling in his sleep, disturbed by the flashback that bothered his dreams. Or was he awake? He couldn't tell anymore. Everything was so confusing. His small arms rose to rub his sleepy eyes and some tears slipped out of them.

Itachi was worried. His brother's fever had not dropped. Since the elder awoke some hours ago he had been sitting and watching the child sleep. His little brother was clearly bothered by something in his sleep, probably nightmares. Nightmares that Itachi had caused.

The prodigy felt a bitter taste in his mouth when he thought about their happy childhood. Just he and Sasuke until the end of time. That was what he had thought so long ago.  
>But the shinobi world is cruel and sometimes sacrifices are needed to be made. Even Itachi dreamed nightmares about his dead clan sometimes. It would haunt him many years onward.<p>

He lifted the child up in his arms again, feeling the urge to comfort him. Sasuke groggily woke up. He automatically clenched his tiny fists in the fabric of Itachi's cloak to hold himself in place.

"How do you feel, Sasuke?" It was a stupid question, of course Sasuke was suffering deeply. But Itachi needed to hear his voice to really know the depth of the damage caused. He waited patiently for his little brother to wake up properly.

"I don't know", the younger whispered after a long silence. He clung to Itachi as if he thought that the elder would disappear. It was so confusing for Sasuke; the other day he hated his brother and now his only safety was to rely on him.

Itachi placed one hand over his brother's heated forehead. He looked unappeased.

"I'm going to bring some water for you", he said and gently tried to pry Sasuke off him. The child reacted instantly by clinging even tighter. "Don't leave me!" he cried.

"I won't. At least not now. I will be right back Sasuke. Just stay here and don't go anywhere, alright?"

The younger nodded hesitantly and Itachi placed him on some moss well sheltered by big rocks. The place was well-hidden among the trees on the big mountain and not visible from a distance. It was the safest place to hide Sasuke while he brought some water from the little stream he had seen earlier. Itachi hurried down the mountainside until he found the clear brook.

Sasuke on the other hand had no time to lose. His fears and nightmares reminded him of what he had to do. All logic had left him; he was like a scared animal that wasn't thinking about other things than how to save itself. As soon as Itachi had disappeared he got up from the hiding-place and ran away in straight opposite direction.

xxx

Itachi rose from the little stream he had been kneeling beside. Something wasn't right. He could feel it in the pit of his stomach, his gut warning him. He quickly jumped on top of a rock and looked at the area nearby.

Far away he could see small figures come running towards the great mountain. Shinobis from Konoha. It wasn't that hard to understand why they were targeting this place all of a sudden.

It was a big distance and it would probably take at least a day for them to get here. But it didn't make the threat less important.

Itachi activated his Sharingan. _Just as I thought._

Several members from Anbu Black Ops were heading this way.

_Are they coming for me… or for Sasuke?_

In the same second Itachi's senses snapped alert. He spun around and moved like a flash of light down the mountain. The blood was about to turn to ice in his veins and he followed that familiar chakra signature desperately.

xxx

Escaping down a mountain is never easy when you have a fever, several unhealed wounds and an Akatsuki member behind you. Not that Sasuke thought that his brother had discovered his absence already but he couldn't take any risks. He ran as fast as he could, stumbling several times and scraping his knees. But it didn't stop him.

Itachi had killed their whole clan. What could possibly keep him from killing Sasuke too? Maybe he was just waiting for the right opportunity. Sasuke had to flee now while he still could.

"Sasuke, wait!"

The child's breath hitched and he ran blindly, panic-stricken. He hadn't come particularly long when his brother grabbed him and halted him.

Sasuke wriggled desperately. "No, let me go, your murderer!" he cried.

The look in Itachi's face silenced him. The younger felt a wave of guilt and shame crashing down upon him when he realized how much it had hurt his brother.

The elder turned away to hide the sorrow written all over his face. He kept his grip around Sasuke's arms and didn't let him escape.

The child felt the will to fight for his escape drain from him. His brother was too strong, it was meaningless. He could feel that Itachi didn't let his guard down. He was prepared for more struggles from his brother.

"Sasuke", he said quietly. "Please don't run off like that, you could get hurt. There's somebody out there, searching for us. We have to stay hidden."

The younger ravenette made another fruitless attempt to get free, only to be pulled closer to his brother by his strong arms.

Sasuke buried his face in Itachi's cloak, not knowing what to do. The young Akatsuki member bent down and placed his arms around him. "You have to stay close to me for the time being, Sasuke. So I can make sure that you won't get hurt."

The child didn't know what to say. Apparently his brother cared about him and didn't want him to get hurt. Did that also mean that he didn't plan on killing Sasuke? Or was it all a game?

"I'll tell you," Itachi said suddenly. Sasuke looked up at him confused. His big brother had still a shade of sorrow in his black eyes. "I'll tell you about our clan, Sasuke."

xxx

The Anbu members stared at the distant mountain.

"Target confirmed", the captain announced. The sensor-type among them nodded with closed eyes. "At the east side of the mountainside. Two Uchiha chakra signatures detected."

"If we hurry up, we'll be there within an hour", the Anbu captain said, hiding his doubts.

Will we get out from this alive? he wondered. The Uchihas are told to be experienced fighters… and the infamous Itachi Uchiha who slaughtered his whole clan is among them. But we have to follow Danzo-sama's order. There's no way around it.

The Root's leader's commands were clear in his mind: _Find the two remaining Uchihas and eliminate them._

xxx_  
><em>

"And that's why I had to do it", Itachi finished with low voice. Sasuke was sitting reverse in his lap with his arms tightly around him. The younger was trembling slightly. So foolish of him to try to escape from his big brother. How could he even get that idea?

"Our parents asked me to take care of you", the elder ravenette added and stroked his brother's hair. "I wish I could have prepared you for what was to come but all the time disappeared and my chance was lost."

Sasuke looked up at him and Itachi could see a new expression in his eyes.

Trust. Safety. For the first time since the massacre, a new light was sparkling in the child's eyes. But a deeper shade of sorrow was also clearly visible.

The elder boy was concerned - would his brother ever get over the loss of their parents? He had made everything worse for Sasuke with his lies and actions. Now he couldn't understand how he had had the strength to leave him in Konoha, broken and despairing.

But what's gone will never return. It was just to accept. No matter how heartbreaking it would be. All they could do now was to survive and live through this. Together.

Maybe one day Sasuke would have healed enough so he was able to see it from Itachi's point of view. Itachi didn't tell him about Shisui and Danzo's further actions in this.

And that reminded the elder Uchiha of the shinobis he had seen earlier. Immediately feeling uneasy Itachi activated his Sharingan and checked the surroundings.

They were on their way. But they weren't here yet. Konoha's Anbu was strong and Itachi didn't want his brother somewhere near when he would have to deal with them.

They could flee now but sooner or later the shinobis would catch up on them. Itachi realized that he would have no other choice than to finish them off. But there would be more shinobis in the end. He couldn't let Sasuke live a life always on the run. His little brother was safer in Konoha.

And that brought up another painful realization – he would have to leave him. At least for a while. If the Anbu got the upper hand and Itachi was killed then Sasuke's life would be lost as well. He couldn't let that happen to his little brother.

_And so another painful choice crashes upon me – all to protect the one I care about the most._

Itachi shifted weight and looked his brother in the eyes.

"Sasuke, I'm sorry, but I have to leave you for a while."

The air changed immediately. The safety in his brother's eyes disappeared.

It felt like Itachi was stabbed over and over again when he saw the younger's reaction. Sasuke's eyes went wide. He gasped and grabbed Itachi's cloak tightly.

"No! No, you can't do that! You promised we would be together!"

"Our lives are in danger; it's not safe for us to be together. You're safer in Konoha."

"W-why aniki?" Itachi felt dead inside when he saw Sasuke fall down and cry in his lap, sobbing uncontrollably. There were no words for how much Itachi hated seeing his brother get an anxiety attack. This was even worse than the massacre itself.

"N-no, nii-san, n-n-no! Y-you can't-t l-leave… m-me he-here al-alone! I- I- w-w-will –do any-anything nii-san! P-ple-please don't…go!" Sasuke was clinging to Itachi's cloak, his face was striped from his violent tears. He was truly heartbroken.

Itachi's eyes became glassy and he struggled to hold back his own tears. He couldn't get himself to touch the child, his guilt was too strong.

"Nii-san! Pl-please, I-I will d-do any-anything you w-want! I p-promise! I-I pr-promise-nii-san, j-just don't… d-don't l-l-leave m-me, I-I p-promise I w-will be g-g-ood. I w-will do an-anything you a-ask f-for, i-if…" Sasuke was so desperate and violently crying by now that Itachi feared that he would pass out. The child cried and begged, making it hard for the elder to hear what he was saying. "N-n-nii-s-san…"

Itachi couldn't take it anymore. Every tear Sasuke shed hurt him more than a weapon ever could and this was torture for him.

"Sasuke", he said. His strained voice was on the edge of bursting. The child looked up at him with his eyes red from tears and clear drops running in violent rivers down his cheeks.  
>Itachi struggled to find his voice. "Don't… don't…"<p>

He might be a prodigy, but there were some things even he couldn't handle.

"Don't cry", he whispered before grabbing the broken child firmly, pressing him against himself. He buried his face in Sasuke's hair.

_Don't cry, whatever you do. I don't ever want to see you cry, because I hate it. Every tear of yours is like a sword through my chest, Sasuke._

_I just want to make it better but I don't even know if I'm capable of doing it anymore. I've already cut off my feelings more than once. But you… you always get them to return._

Sasuke held on to him as if he was going to drown, he gasped and continued to sob against his brother's shirt. Suddenly he froze.

"N-nii-s-san?" he mumbled.

Itachi was tense and he pulled back from Sasuke's hair with blood red eyes. The younger boy gasped, immediately sensing the other's tension. He didn't dare to turn around in Itachi's lap. Instead he buried his face against his chest again.

"What's h-happening, nii-san?"

Itachi swiftly stood up, putting Sasuke down at the ground behind him. Could it get any worse? This was exactly what he had feared.

In front of them stood seven Anbu members.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, what do you think? Reviews are loved.**

This chapter was emotionally hard for me to write... I cried when Sasuke did. xD


	6. Comfort

_**Chapter 6: Comfort**  
><em>

_**Thanks goes to my Beta Bonnie-san again! :)  
><strong>_

* * *

><p><em>Itachi swiftly stood up, putting Sasuke down at the ground behind him. <em>_Could it get any worse? This was exactly what he had feared. In front of them stood seven Anbu members._

Danzo sure hadn't taken any risks – he had sent the best of them. Itachi's former comrades. It would be both physically and emotionally hard to finish them off but if they tried to hurt Sasuke, Itachi wouldn't hesitate.

His little brother was trembling on the ground behind him, completely depending on the elder's protection. Itachi stood tall in front of him. He would do anything to protect him, even if he would have to tear his former comrades' souls out. He would stop at nothing.

_W-what is happening? _Sasuke thought panic-stricken. _What if they hurt nii-san? What can I do?_

His heart fluttered with fear when he saw the Anbu members standing there. Their animal masks made them look rather redoubtable. All of them were carrying katanas. Sasuke swallowed hard. But he believed in Itachi's ability to handle them. His whole life Itachi had been the older brother who was able to do _anything _in the whole world.

Even kill their own parents… The child suppressed those thoughts and wondered if there was something he could do to help his nii-san. As if Itachi had heard him, he held out a hand in front of Sasuke.

"Stay behind me, Sasuke."

One of the shinobis seemed to lose his patience. It was probably a newer member, Itachi thought bitterly. The elder members, including Itachi, knew that team work was _always _the essential part of the whole mission. That mistake would cost the younger member his life.

The Anbu shinobi made a lunge towards the young Akatsuki member. Such a foolish move.

Itachi didn't even need to use his eyes. With a flash of his kunai the corpse of the shinobi tumbled aside. The eldest Uchiha didn't move. Behind him Sasuke gasped and flinched a bit. Itachi felt a sting of guilt when he realized that this was probably reminding his little brother of the massacre.

The other Anbu members were shocked, it was easy to tell. They hadn't expected their opponent to be this strong. This child of barely fifteen years who already had fled the village and murdered the best clan in Konoha would probably be harder to handle than any opponent they had had before.

Itachi called upon his Mangekyo Sharingan. Maybe there was a better way for them to go?

If he just could immobilize his opponents then no unnecessary lives would be sacrificed and Sasuke would be less scared. The young Akatsuki member eyed the masked shinobis warily as the black dots around his pupils swirled and created a new look.

Itachi swiftly placed the Anbu members under the power of his genjutsu - Tsukiyomi. A moment later they were all like trapped rats, staring at him behind their animal masks without a chance to look away.

Now, all Itachi had to do was to create some horror-filled scenes inside of his mind and this fight would be over. It was hard to be a Tsukiyomi user. The whole technique was about creating such vivid and terrorizing pictures that the user himself hardly could stand it and then coldheartedly share it with the victims. He wasn't really fond of other weapons either, but this was the worst thing.

But before Itachi had time to do that, the ground was splattered with blood and he noticed that some of the shinobis were already dead. Then the long-haired ravenette heard a familiar chuckle.

This could only mean one thing… a minor massacre was coming up.

Itachi swiftly turned around and pressed Sasuke against his chest, protecting his brother from the sight he knew was coming. Sasuke gripped his cloak tightly and closed his eyes. "Nii-san, w-what's happening?"

"Hush, Sasuke." Itachi's voice was low. Behind them they could hear sounds of bodies being brutally sliced in two. Some dark red drops landed on the elder's cloak.

He remained crouched on the ground with his little brother in his arms. The sounds suddenly stopped and the older Uchiha couldn't sense the Anbu black ops shinobis anymore. Their chakra was gone.

"So you have been here all the time, Itachi-san. You've been gone for several days so I came here to see what was going on."

"There was no need for overkill, Kisame", Itachi said sourly. His voice had adopted its usually emotionless tone.

The shark man walked over to them, grinning. He carelessly swung Samehada behind him. The shinobis were scattered like crushed leaves on the ground.

"It looked like you were in distress Itachi-san", Kisame said, only at that instant noticing the extra presence. "And… who's that kid?" He stepped curiously over to them with his large sword over his shoulder.

Sasuke who carefully had peeked out from his brother's embrace shied back scared.

Itachi turned around and glared threateningly at his partner with blood-red eyes. The shark man grinned. Although he was too polite to his comrade to say something about it, he would gladly have admitted that Itachi looked more like an aggressive weasel now than ever before. A red-eyed weasel, though.

"My little brother", the younger Akatsuki member answered, still eyeing Kisame.

The older man was surprised. "What is he doing here? Hey… Itachi-san, didn't you kill your whole clan?"

The Uchiha ignored the painful reminder. "He is coming with us back to the Akatsuki." Sasuke looked shocked at his brother. Nii-san wasn't going to abandon him?

Itachi's voice left no room for arguments. He had decided instantly after this encounter that leaving Sasuke on his own would be the same thing as leaving him to die. He couldn't take that risk.

Kisame still grinned. Something about the whole situation seemed to amuse him greatly.

"Too bad, I wanted to kill him." Itachi bared his teeth. "Anyway, Itachi-san, if you say so… It will be interesting to get to know him."

The Uchiha's red gaze never left him for a second. Mangekyo Sharingan surfaced to emphasize the threat. "Beware", Itachi said darkly. It was easy to read the threat in his eyes: _If you hurt Sasuke, I'll rip your head off._

Kisame chuckled, unfazed by the other's death glare. "Since he is your little brother, Itachi-san, I have no intention of hurting him. Maybe he and I will get along very well…" He grinned at the scared child.

His partner didn't answer. Itachi caught a strand of his brother's hair and pulled it through his fingers distracted. He admitted quietly: "Though I wish that you didn't put off such a show –" He nodded at the corpses behind them, "You came in the nick of time, Kisame. I need your help to mislead the shinobis from Konoha. More are coming, in search for me and Sasuke. We will stay here to rest another day until Sasuke get his strength back."

Itachi's voice was demanding, not asking. He was used to take the leader roll from his time as an Anbu Captain and Kisame followed his orders without hesitation. They had been partners for a year and they were the couple who got along the best. But there was something new for the shark man though – he wasn't used to see this care-taking side of his comrade. From the first time he heard about Itachi he had perceived the young man as heartless and cruel, somebody who killed his clan because of selfish desires.

Kisame nodded and set off down the mountain. Within a day he would be back and joining his partner. He would make sure that Itachi didn't have a single shinobi trailing after him. It was the least he could do.

.

Sasuke felt his brother relax a bit but the elder wasn't letting his guard down completely.

The child's burning fever had finally started to droop; only a faint blush was left. His thoughts were becoming clearer and he felt much better.

Itachi decided to arrange some kind of meal to them, since both of them were starving. With his Sharingan it didn't take long until he found some bigger rodents among the rocks. Then he used a simple fireball technique and created a campfire which they grilled the animals over. As they ate Sasuke's worry grew. He still remembered their earlier conversation clearly and what Itachi had said. "Aren't you going to leave me?" he whispered. He didn't dare to hope yet, but it was close.

The elder shook his head. "No. Things will settle now when Kisame takes care of our chasers. We're safe, at least for the moment." _And leaving you alone would be __far too dangerous__ for you, _he added in his mind. _How many more will it be? Will we have the whole Konoha after us in the end?_

Sasuke sat in his brother's lap and stared into the small fire. "Are we going to your organization?"

"Akatsuki", the elder confirmed. "There's no other way for us to be together. I will have to keep doing missions for them to make our living."

The child's voice was surprisingly determined. "I'll help you with the missions, nii-san. It doesn't matter where we go as long as we're together." The younger turned around and hugged him tightly.

Itachi placed his chin on his brother's head and looked into the fire as well. "I will protect you Sasuke, even at the cost of my own life." Sharingan gleamed for a moment, the fire was visible in his eyes. Itachi's arms found their way around his little brother's body.

_So much I destroyed that night... what I said to you..._

Maybe there was a way for them anyway. Itachi wanted to believe in that.

At least Sasuke didn't hate him anymore, and that was enough for him.

.

Later that day, things seemed to have stabilized between them. The elder Uchiha was worried for how his brother would take the information about their clan, everything he had told Sasuke earlier. So much had happened between them and in Sasuke's little head in only a few days. But the child remained calm.

As Itachi deleted every trace of their campfire and presence, preparing for Kisame's return, he watched over his little brother. Sasuke was sitting near the edge of a cliff not far away from the elder. His small arms were wrapped around his legs. He looked out over the forest that surrounded the mountain, towards the distant horizon and the clear blue sky. A soft breeze ruffled his black spikes a bit but everything else was still.

The child was quiet and motionless. His sadness and confusion were filling the air around him and it reached the elder. Even though Sasuke was sitting with his back against his brother it was easy to tell.

Itachi saw him and his movements stopped. He wanted to walk over to his brother and hold him, comfort him. He wanted to hold Sasuke so close that nothing could ever bring them apart.

He wished that he could do a fraction of everything he wanted to.

He wanted to tell his little brother about this world, of all the heart aches one must go through to learn to live. He wanted to teach him a part of what Itachi already had learnt about losing bonds. About how hard life could be, but that it was a purpose behind it. And how to grow and develop through one's losses. Some things you are just better off without. The way to get stronger through one's mistakes and find a way to make it through. Itachi wanted to show him so much, tell him what it meant. He wanted to protect Sasuke from all the sadness and confusion he was going through now.

If only he could… if only he could take away his sorrows. But who was he to speak? What right did he have to console Sasuke? Itachi was the one who brought all pain to him.

The prodigy clenched his fists. He couldn't take away from Sasuke what he had given him. If he could cry Sasuke's tears, if he could take all the bitterness away, he would. If Itachi could take on all the pain by himself, he would.

The fifteen-year-old boy pretty much changed the world with his decision to bring his clan down. He saved the whole village and so many lives, stopped a world-wide war. But he only wanted to protect Sasuke. That was the only reason. He wanted to help him through all hard times, spare him from war experiences. Because Sasuke was a part of him.

_You and I are flesh and blood._ _I will always be there for you. That's what big brothers are for._

Itachi couldn't take Sasuke's pain away no matter how much he wanted to. He could just helplessly watch as the child broke down inside.

Itachi had failed. He had been forced to choose the most painful choice; he couldn't find another solution but accepting that mission. Sasuke's brother could still remember how his whole body had been shaking with tears as he killed his parents. His father's word in the final seconds:

_Promise me to take care of Sasuke. The way we think is different, but I am still proud of you._

Itachi could feel his legs give away under his body. He sank down on the hard rock ground, not being able to support his own weight anymore. He brought his hands to his face. He wanted to tear his own eyes out. Like Shisui did, smiling, just to protect the village. The _damn _village…

Itachi wanted to erase all the memories that were burned into his mind. He could feel how his body began to tremble.

He had been forced to grow up so quickly, killing his own parents and relatives at the age of thirteen. He was too young to take this. His soul felt tainted.

And he let it out, not being able to stop it. Itachi cried silently in his own hands, not knowing what he would do. Every day had been a living hell… and Sasuke's life had been hanging on a thin string all the time. It still was. The prodigy had fought for his little brother's survival so long and yet he almost lost Sasuke anyway. The child had suffered so much and it was Itachi's fault.

The elder Uchiha wished that somebody could take away the miserable feeling that threatened to overwhelm him now. He was miserable, good-for-nothing. A failure. He remembered how he found Sasuke, crying and bleeding, so close to death. What if his little brother had died?

Itachi closed his eyes and let the tears flow over his hands. He was trembling and gritting his teeth in the deep waves of hopelessness. He must be a monster. All bad things he had done…

Suddenly he felt a small movement, something – somebody – crawling into his lap.  
>The tiny body nuzzled close to his. A small, soft hand stroked his forehead. "Nii-san, don't cry."<p>

The child's voice was pure and gentle and he tenderly stroked the elder's hand. Itachi opened his eyes and looked down at his little brother. Sasuke smiled up at him. An innocent, safe and trusting child's smile. "Don't be sad nii-san, I'm here. And I feel safe with you."

Itachi hugged his brother and felt his sorrow slowly subside. He buried his face in the younger's hair, overwhelmed. His happiness and love for this child was infinite. This child was the only one that made him feel better. The only one that made him believe that somewhere beyond all dark clouds, there was a sun.

Sasuke was there for him. It was all that mattered.

"I have a question, nii-san."

"What, otouto?"

"How come you found me? Why where you in Konoha that day... when I was about to…"

The elder let out a sigh. "I don't know what I was thinking. I just felt the need to check on you. I was going mad. And then I found you in the nick of time…" His arms tightened around Sasuke.

"Nii-san, we will always be together, right?"

Itachi kissed his forehead. "Forever."

**xxx**

The next day some shinobis from Konoha arrived to the mountain. Kakashi was one of them. They had been sent by the Hokage to stop the Anbu Black Ops. Sarutobi had confronted Danzo about the matter and decided to interrupt all actions against the Uchihas. But it was a bit strange – the squad hadn't met a single Anbu member yet.

Kakashi knew that Sasuke wouldn't be seen in Konoha many years ahead. The former academy student was with his brother now.

The copy ninja had been shocked when he got to know the truth about the Uchiha clan right before this mission. And he knew that it would be impossible to find Itachi and Sasuke now. But maybe it'll be best that way, Kakashi thought. Even if it would make Sasuke a rogue ninja too in the future…

The rain was sweeping in over the area, filling the air with clear drops. The large forest on both sides was glowing green. Kakashi suddenly noticed something. Far away, almost invisible through the rain, he saw two figures in black cloaks. One had a large sword over his shoulder. The shorter of the two was carrying a younger person, probably a child, on his back.

He only saw the figures for some seconds before they disappeared into the deep forest.

The sky was dark and the rain poured down heavily as the thunder shook the ground. Kakashi turned around and gestured towards the other shinobis. "Let's turn back. They won't return."

_And you better never do, Itachi. Take care of your brother._

* * *

><p><em><strong>The end<strong>  
><em>

_**Please review  
><strong>_


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